Father’s Day, Part 1: Jesus Will Be There

June 20, 2004

The Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Godlefski, Pastor

Montgomery United Methodist Church

Psalm 42: 1-6

I Kings 19: 1-12

Galatians 3: 23-39

Luke 8: 26-39

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, good morning!

It’s great to be back with you. And let me tell you, it’s been quite a week! I’ve spent most of this week in Atlantic City – but it’s not what you think! I hardly saw the light of day. We were in the Convention Center with the gathering of the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Now for those of you who are visitors with us, all the United Methodist churches in New Jersey are connected. A representative from each church and all the ministers and the bishop and the district superintendents all gather once a year to make legislation, to solve problems, and to celebrate in the Lord. We’re all called to do different jobs at the annual conference, and my particular job is to direct the conference choir. So getting ready for that and getting down there and still trying to manage the work of our church has been quite a task, but it’s been a joyful one.

I just need to tell you for a minute about one of the things that happened this week. I wrote a new piece for the conference choir, actually based on something that happened here in our church. I wrote it out and got it finished just before I left, and got down to Atlantic City, and we had the largest festival choir we have ever had. We had 60 voices, which is a pretty big choir. I suddenly realized that this piece had gone from my head, through the computer, to paper, and was now before a 60-voice choir getting ready for a performance before 2000 people, and it had never been road-tested. We had never tried it out with human voices before this moment. I thought, “Is this a good idea?”

So they tried it out, and they got it, and I have to tell you, it went very, very well. I look forward to presenting it before you when our choir gathers again in September.

It was based on a visit I’d had with Bill Potter in the hospital late one night in the cardiac unit. I visited with Bill, and Bill had a roommate. And I was visiting with him, and he was telling me how wonderful it is to praise the Lord and to be a deacon in his Baptist church. I said, “Isn’t it great that we have two fine Christian men in this one room?”

And he said, “Yes, yes, it is.”

I said, “Where two or three are gathered together…”

And the man closed his eyes and he said, “Jesus will be there.”

I said, “Will you say that again?”

He said, “Jesus will be there.”

And the rhythm of those words kept repeated in my head, and I went home that night and went to the piano. “Jesus will be there.” Well, that was the start of the song, and that’s the one that evolved itself for the conference choir, and we’ll sing it here for you, too.

That was the week, and thank you for the blessing of being back with you.